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Jonathan Cook(2019-05-25). The Western Media is Key to Syria Deception.dissidentvoice.orgBy any reckoning, the claim made this week by al-Qaeda-linked fighters that they were targeted with chemical weapons by the Syrian government in Idlib province — their final holdout in Syria — should have been treated by the western media with a high degree of scepticism. That the US and other western governments enthusiastically picked …

Jason Ditz(2019-05-25). Trump Declares Fake Emergency to Sell Weapons to Saudi Arabia.theantimedia.com(ANTIWAR.COM) — In a move predicted earlier this week by members of Congress, President Trump has declared a "national emergency" for the sole reason of circumventing Congressional restrictions on arms sales, and using it to rush shipments of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Under the Arms Export Control Act, Congress is supposed to …

Robert Scheer(2019-05-24). The Americanization of Popular Culture Should Terrify Us All.truthdig.comThe verdict is in, and Hollywood has won the global culture wars, according to Violaine Roussel, a French scholar and professor who has had unusual access to the California entertainment industry. In her view, American culture, packaged neatly in film and television for global consumption, has cast a shadow over cultural products in much of the world. | "The influence of Hollywood has definitely grown these past years, these past decades," the University of Paris profe…

susan_p(2019-05-24). European elections: Either Macron or Salvini?greenleft.org.au The May 26 elections to the 751-seat European Parliament are just around the corner, and conservative, liberal and social democratic camps in the European Union (EU) are all sounding the alarm. | Writing for the mainstream European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on May 16, Susi Dennison and Mark Leonard expressed their panic: | "There are seven days to resolve the paradox at the heart of the European project. Support for EU membership is at a record high — two-thirds of Europeans currently believe it is a good thing, the largest share since 1983 — and yet a majority also fears that the EU might c…

Staff(2019-05-24). Senators Release Plan to Lower Health Costs, End Surprise Bills.truthout.orgIn a year already marked by a wide variety of congressional health care legislation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chair and ranking Democrat of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday released the details of a plan they hope can help bring down health costs and eliminate surprise medical bills for patients. | "These are common sense steps we can take, and every single one of them has the objective of reducing the health care costs that you pay for out of your own pocket," Alexander said in a statement. "We hope to move it through the health committee…

Norman Solomon(2019-05-24). Will Biden's dog whistles for racism catch up with him?nationofchange.orgIn | a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is | running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential | nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell | described in 1984 as the willingness | "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." | It | is an inconvenient fact that Biden has a political history of blowing into dog | whistles for racism. More than ever, the Democratic electorate is repelled by that | kind of pitch. If his dog-whistling past becomes a major issue, the former vice | president and his defende…

Yanis Varoufakis(2019-05-24). The Left Refuses to Get Its Act Together in the Face of Neofascism.counterpunch.orgMore than three years ago, on 9 February 2016, around a thousand of us gathered at a magnificent theatre in Berlin's city centre, built originally by workers to stage progressive theatrical productions. On that night, we founded a pan-European, transnational, progressive, democratic movement that we named Diem25, or Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. This week More

Musa al-Gharbi(2019-05-24). Hillary's call for Chinese meddling in 2020 is no joking matter.nationofchange.orgThis article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. | In a recent appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton suggested China should try to access Donald Trump's tax returns and leak them to the press. | "Why should Russia have all the fun? And since Russia is clearly backing Republicans, why don't we ask China to back us [Democrats]?" She continued, "China, if you're listening, why don't you get Trump's tax returns? I'm sure our media would richly rew…

Norman Solomon(2019-05-24). Will Biden's Dog Whistles for Racism Catch Up with Him?counterpunch.org In a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell described in 1984 as the willingness "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." It is an inconvenient fact that Biden More

Art Shields(2019-05-24). Real history: Memorial Day was born in struggle against the Klan.peoplesworld.org We must not forget that Memorial Day, which we celebrate on Monday, belongs to the foes of racism. The day people place flowers on the graves of fallen veterans was founded by the enemies of the Ku Klux Klan. Memorial Day belongs to the democratic traditions of the American people. It sprang out of the …

Russell Mokhiber(2019-05-24). The Boeing Way: Blaming Dead Pilots.counterpunch.org The House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation held an oversight hearing last week on the two recent Boeing 737 MAX airplane crashes. Testifying were the heads of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Asking questions and making statements were 39 members of the House — 22 Democrats and 17 Republicans More

Staff(2019-05-24). Three Ways To Discipline Corporate Global Governors (Pt 2/2).therealnews.com No stakeholder-based global governance system comes close to matching the democratic legitimacy of a citizen-based and nation-state-based governance system, says Harris Gleckman, who advocates three alternatives to the current corporate-driven multi-stakeholder system and its self-selected global governors…

Akela Lacy(2019-05-24). Sanders, Warren, and Wyden Slam Assange Indictment, a Renegade Use of the Espionage Act to Criminalize Journalism.theintercept.comThe Justice Department filed 17 charges against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on Thursday, deploying the controversial Espionage Act as a cudgel against First Amendment protections and press freedom. It's the first time the U.S. government has used the Espionage Act to prosecute a publisher, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. | Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Sen. Ron Wyden, who all have been outspoken on civil liberties issues, slammed the indictment. | "Let me be clear: it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump adminis…

Gary Leupp(2019-05-24). The Constitutional Crisis, Impeachment and Russophobia.dissidentvoice.orgI think this is what you call a constitutional crisis. The president says the Mueller Report exonerates him of Russian collusion and obstruction of justice. Democrats in Congress insist it does show evidence for obstruction, that needs further investigation through hearings. Trump has ordered his officials, lawyers and aides to refuse to testify, citing executive …

Staff(2019-05-24). Lawmakers Question Surfacing of New Sandra Bland Video.truthdig.comAUSTIN, Texas—Texas authorities on Friday denied withholding a cellphone video of Sandra Bland's confrontational traffic stop, responding to a Democratic legislator's heated questions about why the 39-second clip never publicly surfaced until now. | Bland, a 28-year-old black woman from outside Chicago, had used her phone in 2015 to briefly film a white state trooper as he drew a stun gun and yelled "I will light you up!" while ordering her out of the car. She was dead three days later, hanging i…

Staff(2019-05-24). Ralph Nader: We Know Exactly Who Gave Us Trump.truthdig.comDonald J. Trump's presidential ambition has simmered for decades. He was and is a regular TV watcher and saw the changing political landscape. One by one, previous presidents diminished the integrity of the presidency and violated the rule of law, paving the way for Trump's candidacy. | Bill Clinton was exposed for serial adulteries and abuses of women and lied under oath. This perjury led to him being impeached in the House (though he was acquitted in the Senate). "Hmm," thought Donald, a serial abuser of women, "Clinton got away with it an…

Mark Gruenberg(2019-05-24). Will impeachment stop Trump's war…on us?peoplesworld.org Will congressional impeachment of President Donald Trump, even if the cowed and cowardly GOP Senate majority doesn't convict him, stop his war…on all of us? At the very least, doing so could throw a big monkey wrench into Trump's ravages. There has been a long and justified argument over whether the president committed impeachable offenses …

Jesse Jackson(2019-05-24). Extremist Laws, Like Alabama's, Will Hit Poor Women the Hardest.counterpunch.orgAlabama — led by utterly clueless male legislators — just passed the most restrictive ban on abortion in the country, with Georgia and Missouri piling on. Other states dominated by right-wing Republican politicians are jockeying to join in. Their aim is to get the courts, newly packed with right-wing judges appointed by Trump, to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark precedent that More

susan_p(2019-05-24). France's 'Yellow Vests': 6 months of struggle.greenleft.org.au I am writing from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement, which is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the international media. | For more than two centuries France has been the classic model for social innovation, and this unique, original social movement has enormous international significance. | The Yellow Vests have already succeeded in shattering the capitalist myth of "representative democracy" in the age of neoliberalism. Their uprising has unmasked the lies and violence of republican government, as well as the…

Staff(2019-05-24). While War Drums Beat, Trump Wants to Keep Congress in the Dark.truthout.orgAt his hastily arranged Rose Garden press conference on Wednesday, President Trump made a patently laughable claim. "I am the most transparent President in U.S. history," he protested. But as part of his conspiratorial war against the so-called deep state, Trump has threatened the political neutrality of the military by directing the Department of Defense to decide for itself what is legislatively necessary for Congress to do its constitutionally-mandated job of oversight. | There hasn't been a real secretary of defense for five months, since Jim Mattis left the Cabinet abruptly under disturbing circumstances…

ACLU(2019-05-24). When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers it Gave Congress.aclu.orgWhat President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…

Andrew Levine(2019-05-24). The (Small-d) Democrat's Dilemma.counterpunch.org The Trump presidency has been a disaster for the country and the world; a second Trump term would be calamitous. The menace must be stopped. The sad fact is, though, that for Trump to lose in 2020, a (big-D) Democrat will have to win. This means that the responsible thing for (small-d) democrats to do More

Democracy Now!(2019-05-23). Leaked OPCW Report Raises New Questions About 2018 Chemical Attack in Douma, Syria.democracynow.org The State Department said Tuesday that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons during recent fighting in Idlib. The State Department warned that the United States and its allies would respond quickly and appropriately if it is determined that chemical weapons have been used. This all comes as new questions are being raised about an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma last year. The Syrian government was accused of dropping two gas cylinders on the city, killing dozens of people. The U.S. and allies responded by carrying out airstrikes. But a newly leaked internal document from the Or…

The Western Media is Key to Syria Deception
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-05-25
By any reckoning, the claim made this week by al-Qaeda-linked fighters that they were targeted with chemical weapons by the Syrian government in Idlib province — their final holdout in Syria — should have been treated by the western media with a high degree of scepticism. That the US and other western governments enthusiastically picked …dissidentvoice.org/2019/05/the-western-m…

Bipartisan thirst for more war: 75% of Congress calls on Trump to boost intervention in Syria, to 'pressure' Iran and Russia
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-05-25
While Trump threatens Iran and Venezuela with new wars, 400 Congress members, including leaders from both parties, want to intensify…thegrayzone.com/2019/05/24/bipartisan-wa…

German Social Democrats and "The Left" strengthen domestic security agencywsws.org | 2019-05-25
In addition to an increase in domestic secret service staff, the state government wants to strengthen the use of police informers and limit parliamentary control.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/25/germ…

Knock Down the House and the Democratic Party politics of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezwsws.org | 2019-05-25
Knock Down the House reviews the election campaigns of several Democratic Party primary candidates in the 2018 congressional elections, focused on Ocasio-Cortez in New York City.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/25/kdth…

Chicago Teachers Union prepares to back new Democratic mayor's austerity demandswsws.org | 2019-05-25
The CTU has collaborated with former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in attacking teacher pay, pensions and health care benefits, and colluded with the Democrats in school closures and privatizations.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/25/chic…

Congress, White House Move Disaster Relief for Puerto Rico, US States and Territories
Kate Zeller | indybay.org | 2019-05-25
On Thursday, the Senate passed a $19.1 billion disaster relief plan to aid Americans recovering from natural disasters in US Territories like Puerto Rico and States including Iowa. The House of Representatives and the White House are expected to approve the Senate plan.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/05/23/1882358…

Trump Declares Fake Emergency to Sell Weapons to Saudi Arabia
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-25
(ANTIWAR.COM) — In a move predicted earlier this week by members of Congress, President Trump has declared a "national emergency" for the sole reason of circumventing Congressional restrictions on arms sales, and using it to rush shipments of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Under the Arms Export Control Act, Congress is supposed to …

Leaked OPCW report raises new questions about 2018 chemical attack in Douma, Syria
Amy Goodman | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
A newly leaked internal document from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reveals there were conflicting views within the organization as to what happened.nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/leaked-opc…

'Without Putin, Syria Would Have Ceased to Exist': Interview with Flemish Priest Living in Syria
Fr Daniel Maes | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
The text of this interview was published by Global Research on June 15, 2017 | According to the Flemish Father Daniel Maes, who has lived in Syria since 2010, the coverage of the Syrian war is based on lies. President …globalresearch.ca/without-putin-syria-wo…

The Left Refuses to Get Its Act Together in the Face of Neofascism
Yanis Varoufakis | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
More than three years ago, on 9 February 2016, around a thousand of us gathered at a magnificent theatre in Berlin's city centre, built originally by workers to stage progressive theatrical productions. On that night, we founded a pan-European, transnational, progressive, democratic movement that we named Diem25, or Democracy in Europe Movement 2025. This week…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-left-ref…

Three Ways To Discipline Corporate Global Governors (Pt 2/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-05-24
No stakeholder-based global governance system comes close to matching the democratic legitimacy of a citizen-based and nation-state-based governance system, says Harris Gleckman, who advocates three alternatives to the current corporate-driven multi-stakeholder system and its self-selected global governors…therealnews.com/stories/three-ways-to-di…

European elections: Either Macron or Salvini?
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-24
The May 26 elections to the 751-seat European Parliament are just around the corner, and conservative, liberal and social democratic camps in the European Union (EU) are all sounding the alarm. | Writing for the mainstream European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on May 16, Susi Dennison and Mark Leonard expressed their panic: | "There are seven days to resolve the paradox at the heart of the European project. Support for EU membership is at a record high — two-thirds of Europeans currently believe it is a good thing, the largest share since 1983 — and yet a majority also fears that the EU might c…greenleft.org.au/content/european-elections-either-macron-or-salvini

The Constitutional Crisis, Impeachment and Russophobia
Gary Leupp | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-05-24
I think this is what you call a constitutional crisis. The president says the Mueller Report exonerates him of Russian collusion and obstruction of justice. Democrats in Congress insist it does show evidence for obstruction, that needs further investigation through hearings. Trump has ordered his officials, lawyers and aides to refuse to testify, citing executive …dissidentvoice.org/2019/05/the-constitut…

Trump's charges against Assange are historic attack on press freedoms. Media and Obama helped set the stage
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-05-24
It is not just Trump, but the media, Obama, Bush, mainstream "human rights" organizations, Republicans and Democrats alike that put…thegrayzone.com/2019/05/24/trump-charges…

The Boeing Way: Blaming Dead Pilots
Russell Mokhiber | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
The House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation held an oversight hearing last week on the two recent Boeing 737 MAX airplane crashes. Testifying were the heads of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Asking questions and making statements were 39 members of the House — 22 Democrats and 17 Republicans…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-boeing-w…

Will Biden's dog whistles for racism catch up with him?
Norman Solomon | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
In | a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is | running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential | nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell | described in 1984 as the willingness | "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." | It | is an inconvenient fact that Biden has a political history of blowing into dog | whistles for racism. More than ever, the Democratic electorate is repelled by that | kind of pitch. If his dog-whistling past becomes a major issue, the former vice | president and his defende…nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/will-biden…

Hillary's call for Chinese meddling in 2020 is no joking matter
Musa al-Gharbi | nationofchange.org | 2019-05-24
This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. | In a recent appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, Hillary Clinton suggested China should try to access Donald Trump's tax returns and leak them to the press. | "Why should Russia have all the fun? And since Russia is clearly backing Republicans, why don't we ask China to back us [Democrats]?" She continued, "China, if you're listening, why don't you get Trump's tax returns? I'm sure our media would richly rew…nationofchange.org/2019/05/24/hillarys-c…

The 2020 Election Sweepstakes Begin. Let's Keep Israel and the Phony Claims of Anti-Semitism Out of It
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
The more than twenty Democrats who are seeking to become their party's presidential candidate in 2020 have been more than a little reticent about the foreign policy of the United States. There has been some muttering from the more progressive …globalresearch.ca/2020-sweepstakes-begin…

New charges against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act criminalize journalismwsws.org | 2019-05-24
The Trump administration's persecution of Assange is a historic attack on the First Amendment of the US constitution, for which the media and the Democratic Party share responsibility.www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/24/pers…

Real history: Memorial Day was born in struggle against the Klan
Art Shields | peoplesworld.org | 2019-05-24
We must not forget that Memorial Day, which we celebrate on Monday, belongs to the foes of racism. The day people place flowers on the graves of fallen veterans was founded by the enemies of the Ku Klux Klan. Memorial Day belongs to the democratic traditions of the American people. It sprang out of the …peoplesworld.org/article/real-history-me…

The (Small-d) Democrat's Dilemma
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
The Trump presidency has been a disaster for the country and the world; a second Trump term would be calamitous. The menace must be stopped. The sad fact is, though, that for Trump to lose in 2020, a (big-D) Democrat will have to win. This means that the responsible thing for (small-d) democrats to do…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-small-d-…

Lawmakers Question Surfacing of New Sandra Bland Video
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-05-24
AUSTIN, Texas–Texas authorities on Friday denied withholding a cellphone video of Sandra Bland's confrontational traffic stop, responding to a Democratic legislator's heated questions about why the 39-second clip never publicly surfaced until now. | Bland, a 28-year-old black woman from outside Chicago, had used her phone in 2015 to briefly film a white state trooper as he drew a stun gun and yelled "I will light you up!" while ordering her out of the car. She was dead three days later, hanging i…truthdig.com/articles/texas-lawmakers-qu…

Will Biden's Dog Whistles for Racism Catch Up with Him?
Norman Solomon | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
In a party that officially condemns dog-whistle appeals to racism, Joe Biden is running on Orwellian eggshells. Whether he can win the Democratic presidential nomination may largely depend on the extent of "doublethink" that George Orwell described in 1984 as the willingness "to forget any fact that has become inconvenient." It is an inconvenient fact that Biden…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/will-bidens-…

Exit Polls Show Divorce Referendum Will Win Big in Irelandtelesurenglish.net | 2019-05-24
The ruling Christian Democrat party in Ireland Fine Gae (FG)l, are slated to win the European elections Friday. At the same time, an overwhelming majority has approved a referendum also held today that would reform divorce law, according to an exit poll survey by the public network RTE. | RELATED | Irish Garda Assembles Unit to Tackle Police Corruption Within | The exit poll also announced that FG and the main opposition Fianna Fail party are closely matched in the local electio…telesurenglish.net/news/Irish-Exit-Polls…

Senators Release Plan to Lower Health Costs, End Surprise Bills
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-05-24
In a year already marked by a wide variety of congressional health care legislation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chair and ranking Democrat of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday released the details of a plan they hope can help bring down health costs and eliminate surprise medical bills for patients. | "These are common sense steps we can take, and every single one of them has the objective of reducing the health care costs that you pay for out of your own pocket," Alexander said in a statement. "We hope to move it through the health committee…truthout.org/articles/sen-alexander-rele…

Sanders, Warren, and Wyden Slam Assange Indictment, a Renegade Use of the Espionage Act to Criminalize Journalism
Akela Lacy | theintercept.com | 2019-05-24
The Justice Department filed 17 charges against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on Thursday, deploying the controversial Espionage Act as a cudgel against First Amendment protections and press freedom. It's the first time the U.S. government has used the Espionage Act to prosecute a publisher, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. | Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Sen. Ron Wyden, who all have been outspoken on civil liberties issues, slammed the indictment. | "Let me be clear: it is a disturbing attack on the First Amendment for the Trump adminis…theintercept.com/2019/05/24/julian-assan…

Will impeachment stop Trump's war…on us?
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-05-24
Will congressional impeachment of President Donald Trump, even if the cowed and cowardly GOP Senate majority doesn't convict him, stop his war…on all of us? At the very least, doing so could throw a big monkey wrench into Trump's ravages. There has been a long and justified argument over whether the president committed impeachable offenses …peoplesworld.org/article/trumps-war-on-u…

Ralph Nader: We Know Exactly Who Gave Us Trump
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-05-24
Donald J. Trump's presidential ambition has simmered for decades. He was and is a regular TV watcher and saw the changing political landscape. One by one, previous presidents diminished the integrity of the presidency and violated the rule of law, paving the way for Trump's candidacy. | Bill Clinton was exposed for serial adulteries and abuses of women and lied under oath. This perjury led to him being impeached in the House (though he was acquitted in the Senate). "Hmm," thought Donald, a serial abuser of women, "Clinton got away with it an…truthdig.com/articles/ralph-nader-we-kno…

Extremist Laws, Like Alabama's, Will Hit Poor Women the Hardest
Jesse Jackson | counterpunch.org | 2019-05-24
Alabama — led by utterly clueless male legislators — just passed the most restrictive ban on abortion in the country, with Georgia and Missouri piling on. Other states dominated by right-wing Republican politicians are jockeying to join in. Their aim is to get the courts, newly packed with right-wing judges appointed by Trump, to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark precedent that…counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/extremist-la…

France's 'Yellow Vests': 6 months of struggle
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-05-24
I am writing from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement, which is still going strong after six months, despite a dearth of information in the international media. | For more than two centuries France has been the classic model for social innovation, and this unique, original social movement has enormous international significance. | The Yellow Vests have already succeeded in shattering the capitalist myth of "representative democracy" in the age of neoliberalism. Their uprising has unmasked the lies and violence of republican government, as well as the…greenleft.org.au/content/france-yellow-vests-6-months-struggle

Trump Bypasses Congress to Approve $8 Billion in Emergency Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2019-05-24
(ZH) — Not long after he reportedly agreed to send another 1,500-2,000 troops to the Middle East in yet another show of strength to combat an increasingly belligerent Iran, President Trump steamrolled Congress on Friday to approve $8 billion in arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia and expedite delivery, WSJ reports. The administration invoked a rarely used …

NASA exec in charge of Artemis moon mission quits after just 6 weeks, 'escorted out of HQ'rt.com | 2019-05-24
Mark Sirangelo, who joined NASA less than two months ago as special assistant to agency chief Jim Bridenstine on the Artemis project, has left his post after his proposal for a "sustainable lunar campaign" was nixed by Congress. | …rt.com/usa/460139-nasa-moon-exec-quits-a…

While War Drums Beat, Trump Wants to Keep Congress in the Dark
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-05-24
At his hastily arranged Rose Garden press conference on Wednesday, President Trump made a patently laughable claim. "I am the most transparent President in U.S. history," he protested. But as part of his conspiratorial war against the so-called deep state, Trump has threatened the political neutrality of the military by directing the Department of Defense to decide for itself what is legislatively necessary for Congress to do its constitutionally-mandated job of oversight. | There hasn't been a real secretary of defense for five months, since Jim Mattis left the Cabinet abruptly under disturbing circumstances…truthout.org/articles/while-war-drums-be…

Peace with Iran Is a Good Thing
Renee Parsons | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-24
After weeks of drama with Iranian 'threats' and having conducted classified briefings with Congress on Tuesday, acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by his side, informed a press briefing that | "there will be | …globalresearch.ca/peace-iran/5678387

US to Sell Arab Allies $8B in Arms to 'Deter Iran': Pompeotelesurenglish.net | 2019-05-24
U.S. President Donald Trump is invoking a rare executive provision bypassing congressional review in order to extend a multi-billion dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia, citing alleged threats from Iran to the kingdom, U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo confirmed Friday. | RELATED: | Iran vs. US: Who Will Win the War … of Words? | Per the Arms Export Control Act, US$8.1 bil…telesurenglish.net/news/US-to-Sell-Arab-…

Peruvian Congressman Sentenced to Five Years on Collusiontelesurenglish.net | 2019-05-24
Peru's public prosecutor reported Thursday that the judiciary has sentenced congressman Joaquin Dipas, a member of ex-President Fujimori's Fuerza Popular (Popular Strength) party, to five years in prison for collusion. | RELATED | Another Senior Peruvian Politician Gets Jail for Corruption | "As the tax investigation showed, Dipas Huaman took advantage of his position as mayor of Pichari (2003-2006 and 2007-2010), in Cusco, to illegally approve an exemption from the process of acq…telesurenglish.net/news/Peruvian-Congres…

When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers it Gave Congressaclu.org | 2019-05-24
What President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…aclu.org/blog/executive-branch/when-pres…

UN honours peacekeepers who 'paid the ultimate price', for the sake of others
United Nations | un.org | 2019-05-24
Ever since the UN deployed the first of its 72 peacekeeping missions back in 1948, more than 3,800 peacekeepers have lost their lives, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday, at a wreath laying ceremony in honour of those "brave men and women" who serve.news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/05/1…

Armed Groups Massacre 54 Civilians in Central African Republictelesurenglish.net | 2019-05-24
An armed militia killed at least 54 civilians in an attack Tuesday in Central African Republic (CAR), as reported by UNICEF in their statement of condemnation. The government of CAR has issued a deadline for the group's leader to give up the perpetrators to the authorities. | RELATED | Child Soldiers Rampant in Africa as NGO Denounces the Unrest | The attack was the most deadly since 14 armed groups agreed to a peace deal in February that was meant to bring stability to a country…telesurenglish.net/news/Armed-Groups-Mas…

He died so I could live: UN peacekeeper pays tribute to fallen colleague
United Nations | un.org | 2019-05-24
But for the selfless bravery of the UN 'blue helmet' who dragged him to safety during a firefight against Congolese militiamen, it is unlikely that Corporal Ali Khamis Omary would be alive to tell the tale. The man who saved him, Malawian peacekeeper Chancy Chitete, was not so lucky.news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/05/1…

Leaked OPCW Report Raises New Questions About 2018 Chemical Attack in Douma, Syria
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-05-23
The State Department said Tuesday that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons during recent fighting in Idlib. The State Department warned that the United States and its allies would respond quickly and appropriately if it is determined that chemical weapons have been used. This all comes as new questions are being raised about an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma last year. The Syrian government was accused of dropping two gas cylinders on the city, killing dozens of people. The U.S. and allies responded by carrying out airstrikes. But a newly leaked internal document from the Or…www.democracynow.org/2019/5/23/leaked_op…

Video: Al Qaeda Militants Develop Large-scale Advance on Syria Army Positions
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-05-23
Militant groups are attacking key military and civilian infrastructure in the government-controlled area. | The Reconciliation Center for Syria revealed that militants launched 17 rockets at the Russian Hmeimim airbase early on May 22. 8 rockets did not reach the base. …globalresearch.ca/militants-develop-larg…